Port Douglas/Daintree/Great Barrier Reef - January 7/8

We had a wonderful couple of days relaxing and touring here.
Just what we needed after the hectic pace of Tokyo.
We lounged the first morning watching news programs. The personalities are lovable and we are picking up some of the Aussie vocab. Everything short and cute...The only examples I can think of now... are from Hayley..all months are  shortened - Jan, Feb etc. Breaky for breakfast...prin for principal.. I will think of a few more and add them in later entry.
Plus...it's not 'how are you?'...it's 'how you going?'
The Daintree rainforest tour was in a few parts...
We picked up our nice small group of international travellers.....from Denmark, Spain, Germany, England and Australian,...including from Berwick, where we'll be living.
The first part of the trip was a boat ride the Daintree River to look for wildlife in its natural habitat. We spotted a couple of crocs ( short and cute),flying foxes (huge bats),a variety of birds. Our guide was very knowledgeable.
We drove to Mossman gorge interpretative center for tea, milkshakes and dampers (Australian scones) with cream and jam. Deeelish...This was followed by a walk through the rainforest and a dip in the gorge. The water was cool compared to the  28° ocean. We heard someone say, 'you can handle it, you're Canadian! :-)' of course we introduced ourselves....all travellers share stories but to meet up with one your own  is extra special! This family was in Australia for a year as well...but get this Rodney and Noreen, he is on a firefighter exchange...they've been here for a year from Saskatoon. They don't want to go back home.
Their son, 10 yrs old, said he loved it here except for 'nature's sauna'.
Interesting tidbits we learned that day...
Port Douglas was a gold mining town ( many parts of Australia) at same time the goldrush in California.
The crocs are the biggest in world. One per cent of crocodile eggs survive to full grown crocs. The oldest known croc in that river is over 100 years old.
10 out of the 11 deadliest snakes in the world are right here Australia...not to mention insects and crustaceans. Would have liked to have spotted a snake.
Mangroves are plants that grow between low tide and high tide. There are 30 different species along the Daintree River. The river is brackish...part fresh and part salt water.
The Cairns, Port Douglas area is dwindling sugar cane industry area.
After a visit from Bill Clinton, upon his suggestion, Port Douglas decided to remain the same....with no building higher than a coconut tree and no stoplights anywhere. Every intersection is a round about.
We returned home after the refreshing dip to a lovely dinner at Watergate, a lovely restaurant across street from our hotel.
The next day was a dream....going on a snorkeling expedition to the outer coral reefs... 30 k away from shore. We opted for a smaller more intimate group rather than the more commercial, flashy tour groups.
We were given masks and stinger(jelly fish) gear to protect us from the sun and from being stung by jelly fish.The summer is stinger season. It was ethereal swimming amongst the colourful corals and various species of colourful fish. I also saw a stingray and a cute little shark swimming at the bottom the seabed oblivious to humans. We were told they would only be interested in flounders and you need only worry if you were a flounder. ;-)
We explored three different parts of the reef and we mastered the snorkeling process. I'm hooked.I will need a snorkeling fix once a year... Maybe at Fairy Lake....I admire scuba divers and will now add that to my bucket list.
We decided on pizza for dinner and found a funky outdoor pizza restaurant. It had a hippy California feel to it. We sat outside listening to human and animal conversations while watching the bats fly above.
I must say, it was the best sleep I've had in a few weeks.
We have just arrived in Cairns.